Sectional lighting furniture



A. J. SWEET. SECTIONAL LIGHTING FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, 1919. 1,438,344.

7 5HEETS-SHEET l- Patented Dec. 12, 1922.

-A. 1. SWEET. SECHONAL LIGHTING FURNITURE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, 1919. I 1,438,344. Patented Dec. 12, 1922;

ISHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. J. SWEET. v SECTIONAL LIGHTING FURNITURE.

1,4389344. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10. 1919. 12,

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- A all? A. 1. SWEET. SEOTIONAL LIGHTING FURNITURE.

' 1 APPLICATION FILED rcs.|o. 191s. 1,438,344, 7 Patented Dec.12, 1922.

l SHEETS-SHEET 4- java/ it A. J. SWEET. SECTIONAL LIGHTING FURNITURE.

I APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, I919. LfififiQ.

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A. J. SWEET. SECTIONAL LEGHTING FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.10, 1919.

iPa'ientefi Dec, 12-, 31922 TSHEETS-SHEET a.

A. J. SWEET. SECTIONAL LIGHTIING FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I0, 1919. I 1 438344, Patentmi Dec.12, 19225- 7 suzsys s'nsn 7.

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Aa'rrma J. swear, oni/rrmvnonnn, WISCONSIN.

snorronet LIGHTING FURNITURE.

Application filed February 10, 1919. Serial No. 276,053.

To aZZ whom it may come 1m:

Be it lmown that I, ARTHUR J. SWEET, citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Sectional Lighting Furniture; and I do hereby de clare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which ,iixtures which may be disassembled, moved about and reassembled to suit widely vary-, ing and requirements, and to utilize" various sizes and types of light-distributing devices.

il leretofore, the lighting fixture industry has suffered greatly from a lack of standardization, so that the installation'of fixtures has commonly required the fabricat .ing of specially sized parts and the consequent delays in securing the fixtulres, it being customary for fixture dealers to carry in stock only single samples of completely fi 'hed fix ures and relatively few and poly fixture parts. Consequently, the iix turcs for each job had to be specially manufactured in small quantities and fro-m parts which at best were only partially finished prior to the receipt of the order, thus involving a highly wasteful cost of manufacture. Takenin this aspect, my invention aims to standardise the parts for a great variety of so that these parts can readily be menu .i'ured in quantities at a correspond: ing reduction in their cost, and so that the same constiti ent elements can be used in ruc't-in fixtures to meet different ceiling heights. to utilize differentsizes and characters of light-controlling devices, and to suit other variations in the requirements.

Furthermore, the specially fabricated fixtures as heretofore in use were adapted to particular ceiling: heights. light-controlling devices, fixture spacings and other local conditions, and therefore unsuited f to any changesiin these conditions, Considered in this aspect, my invention aims to provide fixtures which can readily be altered; to meet changes in the requirements, thus allowing them tobe adapted not only to other types or sizes of lamps and light-controlling devices, but also permitting both the appearance of the fixtures and the" general lighting effect to be varied as desired' In another aspect, my invention aims to provide fixture "sections each of 'which will'.

carry. its own 7 electrical conductor equip;- ment and each of which'sections will be so arrange-d that the mere mechanical connecting thereof to the next section will automatically afford the corresponding electrical connection between the conductor portions carried by the sect-ions. v instead of providing fixture parts after the manner heretofore customary and using these parts as runways for subsequent wir- I equip each part with its own portions of the circuit so arranged that the parts are already wired and automatically do their In other words,

own electrical connecting when assembled,

therebyavoiding the cutting and joining ofwires and permitting the entire fixture to be assembled with the aid of such simple tools as a screw-driver and a wrench.

Furthermore, I aim to provide sectional fixture parts adapted for interchangeable mechanical interconnection and presenting no exterior electricallydive. portions when the parts are connected to each other as under the conditions of use. In the preferable form of my invention I therefore compose the sectional fixture parts primarily of insulating material withinwhich the conductors designed to carry the current are mounted or imbedded. In a form ofmy invention less preferred because probably more clumsy and more costly to manufacture, I would. make the-sectional fixture parts of a metallic shell, the enclosed conducting parts being separated from such shell, as well as from. other enclosed conducting parts of different potential. by the interposition of insulating material.

In still another aspect, I aim to provide sectional fixture parts adapted for interchangeable connect-ion to each other and including not only parts which exactly duplicate each other, but also parts'varying in size, and parts varying widely in shape and function. F or example, I aim to provide stem sections, link sections, circuit-distributing bodies and shadeholder-supporting bodies all equipped for interchangeable mechanical connection to one another and likewise equipped for automatically affording corresponding electric circuit connections when thus mechanically interconnected. I also aim to include in such interchangeable parts lamp sockets adapted for direct connection to any of the other sec tions, such as those above enumerated; and to include means, such as plugs, adapted to conceal the exposed connecting parts on any section used substantially as a fixture termi nal, and likewise adapted to guard against leakage or short circuiting of the current by 'engagement of other objects with the contacts at unemployed terminals of any sec tion. \Vhen including shade-holder-supporting sections, I aim to provide means for relatively moving the holder and the as sociated lamp socket with respect to one another, thereby permitting a proper adjustment thereof to correspond to different sizes of lamps and different types of lightcontrolling devices carried by such a holder. I also aim to provide simple means for adju'sting such a holder to adapt the same to light-controlling devices having holder engaging rims of different sizes, and desirably aim to arrange the interconnecting parts of the various sections of the lighting furniture as designed by me in such a manner that the weight of each element will aid in securing a firm and ample electrical connection with the sectionsupporting the same.

Moreover, I aim to accomplish the above objects with a comparatively small variety of sections, so that the greatmajority of conditions can be met from a stock representing so small an investment that it can readily be carried by the electrical contractor, the central station, or even the merchant who might like to vary the lighting equipment of his establishment from time to time. Still further objects will appear from the following specification and from the accompanying drawings in which Fig. I is an elevation of a lighting fixture embodying my invention and including a body section having connecting portions disposed both at its ends and on its sides.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the same fixture taken from the top of the body section.

Fig.3 is an enlarged andcentral vertical section through the body section of Fig. 1 and a part of one of the holder arms carried thereby, also showing a section through a miniature lamp socket arranged for direct connection to such a body section.

Fig. i is an enlarged transverse section through one of the connecting clamps on the holder portions of Fig. 1, taken along the line 4ii of Fig. 3.

the terminal'section of Fig. 6.

Figs. 8 and 9 are cross-sections taken re spectively along the lines 88 and 9-9 of F 6. I

Fig. 10 is an enlarged elevation of a single one of the link sections of Fig. l or Fig. 5.

Fig. 11 is a side view of the same.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged transverse section through the adjacent parts'of two interconnected links and through the auxiliary member which secures them to each other.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged and central section through the link-attachment-section shown next to thebushing under the canopy in Figs. 1 and 5.

Fig. 14% is anenlarged longitudinal section through the stem'section of Fig. 5.

Figs. l5, l6 and 17 are transverse sections taken respectively along the correspondingly numbered lines of Fig. 14c.

Fig. 18 is an enlarged and fragmentary elevation of the lowest or terminal link sec tion of either Fig. 1 or Fig. 5.

Fig. 19 is an elevation of a lighting fixture embodying my invention and including a series of superposed vertical stem sections, and also including links suspended from link-attachment-section carried by stem sections serving as horizontal arms.

Fig. 20 is an enlarged and central crosssection through the body section oi? Fig. 19 and parts adjacent thereto.

Fig. 21 is a fragmentary view showing a link section suitable for use according to my invention and providing duplicate conductor portions for each leg of the circuit.

Fig. is an elevation of an alternative type of link, namely one comprising two duplicate halves bolted to each other.

Figs. 23, 2 and 25 are respectively side views, central longitudinal sections and. end view of the link of Fig. 22.

Fig. 26 is an enlarged transverse section through Fig. 22 along the correspondingly numberedline in the latter figure.

Fig. 27 is a perspective view of one of the imbedd ed conductor parts of the link of Figs. 22 and 24.

Figs. 28, 29 and 30 are respectively a-iront elevation, a side elevation, and a central longitudinal section through another type ess- 4 of fixture link suitable for use in embodiments of my invention, namely one in, which the consecutive links are made in two halves connected to each. other and to adjacent links by clamping the link halves against. the ball-shaped elements of Figsf31, 32 and 33.

Figs. 31, 32 and 33 are respectively a front view, a side view, and a top view of one of the ball-shaped elementsof thelink of Fig. 28.

Fig. 34 is a partial View of a fixture em- 7 section connecting the upper ends of the link chains with the terminal section con cealed by the canopy.

Fig. 37 is an enlarged the uppermost links, showing its connection to adjacent sections of the fixture.

Illustrative of what may be accomplished by the assembling of fixture sections constructed according to my invention, Fig. 1 shows a pendant lighting fixture including at its top a canopy 1 housing and normally concealing the entrance" terminal section 2 of Figs. fiand 7. This terminal section consists of an insulating body threaded at both ends and desirably having both male and female threads at its upper endso that it canbe secured to either of the types oi" fixture support most commonly provided, the fixture stud or crowfoot3 shown dotted in Fig. 6, or a plate with (female) threaded bore. The insulating body of section also has at its lower end a female thread formed partly in the insulation itself and partly in incomplete metal rings 4and 5 molded into the insulation and forming the lower electrical terminals of this fixture section. The terminal piece 5 is desirably disposed at or near the mouth of the thread, while the companion terminal 4 is spaced at such distance therefrom as .to afford suit able insulation space. These threadedterminal pieces are connectedrespectively by wires 6 and 7 to binding posts 8. and 9 mounted. on the exterior o1 the insulating body, as shown for. example i'nFigs...6, 7

and 8, the gap in the incomplete annular contact 4 beingdirected towards the wire 6,

so as to permit ample insulationaround this.

wire, as shown in Fig. 9 the posts 8 and 9 being held in place by their. securementv to the wires 6 and 7 which are molded into the insulation.

The lower end of the elevation of one of:

. several preceding paragraphs, the terminal These extensions, shown just below, binding posts 9, acts as stops beyond which longitudinally. of the axis of, the.

terminal section has an exterior thread for'receivingja bushing 10 which supports the canopy '1. This bushing is. designed not only to supportthe I canopy but to permit the employment of a singlestandard canopy under yarient conditlonsgoi nstallat on, as; itollowsz'ns be of the crowfoot sometimes being in front-oi? and sometimes behind this plane. This re sults in a proportionate variation,;with respect to the said plane, ofgthe; end of the terminal section 2 to which the bushing 10 attaches. ,By making the .interengaging threaded portions'o'f theysection 2, and the bushing 10 considerably longer than is needed for adequatemeGhanical attachment, the bushing maybe screwed upon the section to a greater or less degree, thus providing an element of adjustment which permits the use of a c'anopyof fixed size under such variations in conditions of installation asnormally occur in practice.

In installing heparts described.,in

section would be screwed upon, the crowfoot 3 and the -Wll6S from the ceiling outlet brought to the binding posts after shamanner of Fig. 6,,thereby affording circuit cona ,nection to the. terminal section of the fixture; after-which all further electrical connections' are afforded according to my invention. without the attachment otfi any wires. In order to prevent the bared end of the circuit wire "from extending tar below the binding post 9 and making elect-rical contact with the canopy ii same'were made of, metal, I desirably provide shoulder extensions of the insulating material from which theterminal section is desirably made.

the wirecannot be convenien ly pushed] Where a linlcefifect is desired, {first at tach'to the entrance terminal sections linkattachment sectlon, suchas the one shown in Fig. 13. 'This consists of an insulating.

body ;ter minating at its upper end" in a male thread ,c'orrespondingto the female thread in the lower end of the terminal section 2- and having parts of the thread formed by metal inserts ll and 12 spaced thread by I substantially. the same distance metal terminal. insertsj4 and 5 in the 2. The insulatingyb'ody of a the section this link,

attachment section has at its lon e1. end a.

transverse' bore extending partly through the insulationand alsothrongh contact terminals 14 and 15, wh ch terminals'are connected respectively to the terminalsll and 12 by conductors. imbedded .n the insulation.

Thisbore 16 corresponds in diameter to the c borethrough the'upperor free ends of the link section of Figs 10 and 11, and the lengthofthis bore corresponds closely" to the distance between the free arm "03? the"; link as shown 111 F 1g. 10. These tree arm tips house contact rings 17 and 18 te'r minating at the gap iii-the link as shown in Fig. 12'. The other or closed end of each link section has a bore of similardimensions extending transversely of the bore through th e'free arm ends of the link, as shown at the lower end of Fig. 10', and this here extends through contzut rings 19 and 20 adapted respectively to contact with the rings 17 18 on the next adjacent links when the links are seriallyassembled. For this assembling, I desira'bly'employ screws 21 as shown in Fig. 12, which screws operate-=- both for forming a pivotalconnection between successive links and for elainping'the free ends 01 each link againstthe closed" end of the next link, so to insure a proper contact between the respective con tact pairs 17 and 19, and 18 and 20 in spite of such variations in dimensions'as may occur in ordinary manufacture-Q lln each case, the contact ring 17st one of the free ends of eachlinksection is electrically conneeted to one of the contact rings l9 at the closed end of the same section bye wire 22 imbedded inonearm of the link";

while the other contact rings 18' and 20 of" each link are similarly connected by a wire 23 in the companion arm of the link. Con *sequently, the mere mechanical connecting;

of the links to each other as above described will automat cally ail'ord'a' twinconductor connection from one to another,

while entirely concealing the conductors, so' that I avoid the inartistic appearance-of cords threaded through the fixture links.

However, to guard a possible insufficiency of contacting in case thescrews 21 should loosen, ll desirably supplement theen-d contacts of the associated contact rings of cone secutive link sections, by mounting auxiliary contact sleeves 24 and 25 on the screw 21, this screw being made of insulatlng'ma terial.

the combined length of the adjacent con-v tact rings, as shown 1n F 1g. 1.2, fI'OIILWlIlClI figure it will also be obvious that gravity will operate for ensuring good electricalmechanical connections would similarly be made from this fink-attachmentsection -toan adjacent link section.

After attaching any desired number of link sections to each other'in the manner thus described, 1 terminate these (in the The metal sleeves 2t and Bears desirably at least equal in total length to It will also be" Mess er embodiment" of linkhaving' at its lower end a female thread corresponding to that of the lower end" of the'terininal section 2' of Fig. 6 and similarly 'ineluding contacuportions and 5 "as po'rftions -of the thread;

Thus arranged. such f by using a" teiu'ninal" "link asfishown.inFig. 18', thatls to say, a

a terminallink asshown in FigQlS affords link to any fixture section having a male connectin end c'orr'es aondin in'itsu ")er in i p endwith thesection ofl ig. 13, as for ei" 1 "a readymeans "for connecting a standard wise, ifthe' connectionis to be madetoa fixture section terminating; in a correspond- H 111g female end, such as the lowerend" ol the stein section of Fig. let, this is readily accomp'li'slredfby interp os'ing a suitable nip ple, as for example the nipple shown at the top" of Fig} 3 'lhi's" nipple consists of an insulator threaded for its entire length and having portions of its thread" formed by to each other by a wire imbed de'd in the insulation? The nipple als'olhas part oi othefiby double the distance. betweenthe threaded terminal portions o'tFig'fi 6, orthe contact rilrg'gsll disposed respectiyel'y} at ends of the threaded nipple and connected its'fthreadformed upon a centrally mounted znetal ring 26- ot'substantially"double width' o'it' therings 11andspaced frormeacn l v corresponding-eontaots {11 and 12" of'l igf,

That is to s'ay'fth'e single-ring QGHn this case forms counterpart of two of' the-j ring's' o't one 'oii'the other sections.

1th the nippleas' described, eonnectlon" is readily made from the linl'r' 'terin-inal section '28 ofl i 1 to the may section 29 of the same figur-ei This' body section, made chiefly from insulating" material or with its eonducnngj ans properlyinsn lated from each other, isequipped at its upper end with 'a itemale thi'eade"d recess in cluding contact rings l and 5, Fig. 3,

afv fording the" upper terminals for conductors imhedded in the insulating: body, which body is here] shown substantially six-sided and as equipped along" the middle of its height with "an attachment'recess'in each of these" sides; These recesses are all threaded siinia larly t'o the recess at the upper end and are all similarlyequipped with contact. rings all connected to'the said rings 1 and5-at the upper end of the holder" section by conduc' tors imbedded in the-insulation.

Each of these latter female bores therefore affords ready-means for a taclnng any other I fixture sect on having a thread 'aiter'the mannenoih Figs. I or-14f- In the'pre'sentinstance, I

employ alternate openings 7 for holder plugs to support *the'arms ofa holder tor light controlling deyice,'and t'or sockets carrying miniaturelainps; such as the socket shown detached at the righthand ofl ig. 3. For the holder purpose,-l employ astud 30' havtending through a perforation in the upper portion 32 of an arm of the holder. Each of the arms desirably terminates at'its free end in a hook underhanging a rim of the light-controlling device used with the fiX-.

ture, such as the bowl 33. these arms desirably being made of resilient material so that they may be sprung out of engagement with the rim of the bowl. To accommodate different diameters of bowls or other lightcontrolling devices, 1 preferably make the holder arms adjustable in length, as by providing two arm sections 32 and 33 secured to each other by clamps 34, Each of the clamps 34: may consist simply of a sleeve encircling portions of both of the holder arm parts and fast upon one of the latter. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, the sleeve E A-may be attached by screw to the upper arm section 32, while the companion clamp in Fig. 3 would similarly be screwed to the lower arm section 33. Each screw, extending through the sleeve and one of the arm sections, is adapted to bear against the'companion arm section, by such bearing clamping such companion sections in 'any'desired position and effectually locking the two sections to each other. Upon slightly loosening the screwsof both sleeves, the clamping action is relieved, and the arm sections can be telescoped along each other, thus providing any desirable holder diameter. That portion of either arm designed to telescope with the corresponding portion of the other, is formed on astraight line or on the arc of a circle.

The formation of the holder described above can be modified without departing from the spirit of my invention. Thus, instead of straps, the holder can be formed from two tubes or from a rod and a tube, the one telescoping with the other. type of holder arm 45 is shown in Fig; 5. The companion parts of the arm designed to telescope with each other, are formed straight or on the arc of a circle.

I have described abovethe attachment of a three-arm holder to three alternate lateral recesses of the body section shown in Fig. Instead of miniature lamps as shown in Fig. 3, second independent three-arm holder can be attached atthe remaining lateral recesses. This permits the independ ent holding of a light-controlling device and of a housing or envelope for same, a construction which is desirable when the lightcontrolling device is not, in itself, of at tractive appearance. Similarly, this construction permits of supporting a light-controlling device partially enveloping a second light-controlling device, a construction .sometimes desirable when adequate light- Such - proper aligning of these longitudinal adjustment control cannot be provided with such bending of the light rays as it is possible to produce by a single light-controlling device.

In the partial'embodiment of my invention represented by Fig. 3, I provide not only a means for attachmentof holder or other fixture parts, as heretofore described, but I provide also a means whereby an axially-disposed socket, attached to the body section either directly, or indirectly through intermediate sections, may be raised or lowered to bring the light-giving portion of the lamp into desired effective relation to the bowl or other light-controlling portion of the fixture. To this end, I connect the circuit terminal. 4 at the upper end of the body section through an imbedded wire with the stem 85 having an enlarged and threaded end 36 thereon, while the other contact ring 5 is similarly connected to an imbedded cylinder 37 having a female thread of the same pitch as that on the head 36 of the said stem. Between this cylinder'and the said stem 1 insert piston 38, primarily made of an insulating material, equipped at its lower end with the standard femalebore of my sectional units and having part of its thread formed by contact ring portions 4 and as shown at the lower end of Fig. 3. One

of these contact rings is connected by a conductor (imbedded in the insulating material of piston 38) with an innertuloe 89 constitinting an integral part of the piston, which tube is (female) threaded and designed to engage with the head 36 of the stem 85. The

other contact rin'p; 5 is similarly electrically connected to'a ring 40 constituting an integral part of the piston, which ring'is (male) threaded and designed to engage with the'tube 37. It is evident that t-hepistonBR can be raised or lowered by'rotating it. the while maintaining electrical connection between the contact ring 4 and the contact ring it, and between the contact ring 5 and the contact rin'gfi 'ToeXpedite the elements during the same, I provide a for the stem 35, as by threading this at its upper end into the conducting member which connects it to the circuit, and thereafter locking the stem against'rotation when properly adjusted by means of the screw 4C1 In Fig. 3 I have shown these associated parts in the uppermost position but it will'be evident that, by bodily rotating the piston 38, the threaded bore at the lower end of t-he' piston can readily be lowered. fora considerable dis tance without disturbing the electrical connections. This body section therefore provides means for adjustably positioning the light center in proper a rial relation to the light-controlling device under wide variation as to lamp size and as to sizeand shape of light controlling device.

initial assembly of the The socketsection of my invention introduces an element of novelty, as compared with the previous art of socket manufacture, in that this section, in common with the other sections of my invention, is provided with means whereby electrical connection to an adjacent section is automatically made incidental-to the making of mechanical connection. As such means, 1 preferably employ an axial plug identical in type with that shown atthe top-of 1-1. This plug,

which is preferably integral with the socket,

is located at the-end of the socket opposite that at which lamp connection is made. I

preferably providea suitable thread on the exterior of the socket at the lamp connection not wish to be limted to the con struction here disclosed, asthe: same might obviously be modifiednin mafny wayswithout departing fromthe'--spirit .of my invention. F or example, Fig. -5 shows apendant fixture in which the terminal link section. 28 is screwed upon a flutedstemsection 414: supporting the holder arms 45 which are adjustably clamped to this stem by'means of a sleeve 46 threaded upon the tapering upper ends of these arms, after the manner more fully described in my co-pendingapplication -#21084ll. filed January 8, 1918,-on a light-controlling device holder. In this case, I justment between the lamp and the ligh controllin'g device'by movingthe light-controlling device relative to the'rest of the fixture, while in the deviceof 3 I accomplish the sameresult by holding the light- POIlTtIOlliIlg devicestationary with respect to the restof the fixtureand rnoving the lamp.

Moreover, it "will be evident that wide variations in form and in. the particular means provided for mechanical attachment and electrical contacting may be employed without departing from the spirit of my in. vention. -Thus-Figk21: shows an embodi- .ment-of. invention in which a variant cont-acting means is-provided and in which twodndependent sets of electrical conductors are like-wise provided. In this case,-the con gta-ctingssurfacesare segmented as shown on the iace sixthevcuhical port-ion: of= the provide relative ad assess link bottom of Fig. 21. This two-circuit arrangement ma sometimes be desirable where it is desiredto operate a plurality of lamps carried by a single fiizture. some on one circuit, some on another.

It is obvious that a multitude of other variations are possible, without departing from the spirit of my invention. Figs. 22 to 32, inclusive, present some oi? the more important of such variationsyas applied to the link section. Thus Figs. 22 to 27, inclusive show a construction in which the link is made of separable and counterpart halves,vsecured to each other by a. bolt of insulating material, each half havingembodied in it a conductor terminating in res-ilient' contact fingersanore especially illustrated in Figs. 24, 2 6 and 27. Or, two-part links clamping substantially ball-shaped intermediate members, may be employed as l fnFigs. 28 to 82, inclusive, in which case the balls desirably-have webs 54, preventing such rockingas night cause one 5% the 0011- tacts 55,0arried by a ball, to short-circuit thetwo conductors. In this last construction, I employ a ring 56-for oining two link halves intoa closed link section. The foregoing constitute but selectedfew of the many embodiments of my invention whichl have devised. 7

Figs. 19 and 20 are presented for the purposeoi making more clear-the nature o'fmy invention in its adaptability tothe manuiliacture, by amere assembly of standard parts in difierent combinationa'of fixtures of radically 'difierent characteror type. Thus 19shows afixtnre inwhich stem sections instead of link sectionssupport the fixture body. These stem sections are essentially identical with the construction shown in Fig. 14:, and may be made with plain, fluted, or otherwise embellished exterior. Similar stem-sections may be attached to the body section at the provided lateral attachment recesses. thusconstituting fixture arms of any desired number and of any desired length. terrninatinesuch fixture arm with the link attachmentsection of Fig. a terminal link 29. or one or more links 2? and a-terminal; link, maybe attached. To this. in turn, the socket may be attached, thus forming an arm-type-fiizture of the sensharacter shown in If desired, an artiallydisposedsocket, lamp and lightcontrolling device may also be attached to the axial recess at the bottom of the lamp body.

The adaptation of my invention to tl e construction oi adirect-lightinp; fixture employing a single lamp andlight-controlling device will be obvious fromFig'. 1. In such case adirect reflector; instead of theindirect the body. section may be omitted entirely,

the'socket being attached 'directlygto, terminal link scctlon 28, and the light controlling device supported by holder attached to the socket. Similar possibilities are evident ifit be desired to employ rod sections d8 and t9 instead of the link sections. 3

Fig. 35 illustrates the construction when it is desired to support the body section, by several supporting members rather than by a single support. In this case, the top-most link in each chain would be formed from two independent similar half-links, threeforked link attachment sections similar to 13 of Fig. 1 but forking into three distinct cubical portions, being provided, by means of which special link attachment section the supporting members would be connected to the terminal section.

Any recessed points of attachment, which are not desirably employed for any other purpose, would be closed by the attachment of the standard blind plug 51 which affords no corresponding contacting parts to the contacts 4 and 5 of the threaded recess.

Where a chain-supported type of fixture is desired, link sections as heretofore described may similarly be employed, as exemplified in Fig. 35, where a holder body 60 carries horizontally disposed link-attachment section 13 connected by a series of links 27 with a multipledink-attachment section 61 having arms corresponding in number to the number of chains. Likewise, link sections and threaded stem sections may be employed in tandem with each other, as shown for example in Fig. 34, so

that the interchangeable assembly of a relatively small number of my fixture sections permits of producing an extensive variety of sizes and types of fixtures.

l. claim as m invention:

1. .un electric lighting fixture. comprising sectional and interchangeably connectable fixture construction elements each comprising a body of insulating material having electric circuit conductors embedded therein. the conductors being exposed only at the end faces of the terminals when the elements are disconnected, and being entirely unexposed at the juncture of consecutive elements when the latter are intercon nected.

2. In an electric light fixture, fixture section therefor comprising a body of insulating material having gap .substan-' tially equal in width to the thickness of an other portion of the said body, and electric circuit conductors embedded in the insulating material and each presenting terminals having their end faces exposed respectively on the opposite sides of the last named body portion and on the opposed faces oi the gap.

3. An electric light fixture, comprising mechanically interengageable sections each carrying electric circuit conductors having exposed end faces for direct electrical connection between adjacent sections by the mere mechanical connection thereto, each'section having two portions adapted for engaging counterpart portions on other sections, the: said two portions on each section being counterparts of each other.

l. An electric light fixture, comprising fixture sections carrying electric circuit conductors having end face surfaces and constructed for interchangeably affording simultaneous mechanical and electrical connections to one another by the more interengaging thereof, including a section equipped for such interengaging with a plurality of other sections and for thereby affording multiple circuit connections to the latter.

5. In a sectional electric light fixture, a fixture section provided with an insulating body portion having a socket and a male threaded portion, a pair of'terminals having their end faces respectively forming longitudinally spaced parts of the threaded portion, a pair of relatively insulated metal terminals having their end face portions disposed for engaging terminals on a lamp, and electric circuit conductors connecting the first named terminals with the last named terminals respective y.

6. Electric light fixture sections arranged. for simultaneous mechanical and electrical connection to one another by the mere mechanical assembly thereof, including a socket-carrying section having means for relatively moving the socket-carrying pertion with respect to the section supporting portion thereof while continuously and abuttingly maintaining the electric circuit connections to the socket.

7. For use in the construction of electric light fixtures, mechanically interengageable sections each equipped for affording direct electrical connection between the sections adjacent thereto by the. mere mechanical.

connection thereof each section having two spaced apart portions adapted for engag ing counter-part portions on other sections, the said two portions on each section being counterparts of each other.

8. For use in connecting fir-:ture sections having equivalent threaded. bores includin; contact portions, a nipple threaded for substantially its entire length and comprising three metal contact rings and an insulating bot carrying the same, two of the rings belng at opposite sides of and l Ced from the third ring, and, means electrically connecting the said two rings.

v 9; For use in connectingfiixturesections having equivalent threaded bores including end face contact portions, a nipple threaded and equipped at eachend for aifording direct mechanical andelectrical connection between two such fixture sections by the mere LIX screwing of the ends of the nipple into the said holes of the two sections.

10. Electric light fixtnre sections each inch ding both a part oi? the supporting structure of the fixture and a pair of enclosed electrical conductors, each section being arranged for simultaneous mechanical and electrical connection to other sections; the said sections including a variety of differzruary 3, 1919.

types and ofdi-inensional variations can be assembled from-a lnnlted variety of such sections. s V

slgned at Milwaukee, VISCOHaSill, Feb- ARTHUR J., SWEET. 

